Butler Amusements has generously offered to host our annual ACE Day at the California State Fair on Tuesday the 25th of August! This late-summer ACE NorCal tradition had always been hosted through the generosity of Ray Cammack Shows, for which we remain most appreciative. This year, there’s a big change at the State Fair, with Butler Amusements operating the midway. We’re pleased as punch that Butler Amusements will continue our traditional day of fun at the fair!

You may know Butler Amusements from the Alameda County Fair or the Marin County Fair, both of which are now open. If you can’t wait until late August for a taste of some good old fun on midway amusement rides, why not check out either of these two fairs right now?

There is also a poignant twist to the Butler Amusements ride lineup. Butler Amusements acquired some rides from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. These Neverland rides will be in operation at the California State Fair.

For more information on Butler Amusements, check out their web site: http://www.butleramusements.com/

For more information on ACE Day at the California State Fair, stay tuned to your email in-box. We will be sending out full details once they are finalized.

At the recent ACE Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain, ACE members and their guests were treated to plentiful ERT on California’s newest wooden roller coaster: Terminator Salvation The Ride. If you have not ridden it yet, get yourself to Six Flags Magic Mountain pronto. It’s an outstanding ride! Yes, it has special effects and on-board audio, which definitely add to the experience. But even without those extras, this would still be a top-notch ride. Great job, Great Coasters International!

Special thanks go to ACE Southern California Regional Representative Steve Berto and his assistants for putting on such a great regional event. Special thanks, of course, also go to Six Flags Magic Mountain for their great hospitality!

Remember next year to save the last Saturday of June for the Frontier Village Amusement Park Reunion! This year’s Frontier Village Amusement Park Reunion was held on June 27th at Edenvale Park in San Jose. The picnic featured gun fights by the Fall Guys, a display of park memorabilia, a now-and-then tour of Edenvale Park by former park manager, Pat Hanna, a coloring contest for kids, and a prize raffle. Also on display was the recently-found, formerly long-lost wooden Indian statue from the park.

Frontier Village opened its gates on October 21, 1961 in San José on part of the Hayes estate, The park had one powered Mack coaster, the Apache Whirlwind, which cost the park almost $600,000 in 1976. Another favorite ride was the Haunted Lost Dutchman Mine, a dark ride with miners, stalactites, and stalagmites. At Rainbow Falls Fishing kids could catch trout in a stocked pond. There were two car rides, the Antique Cars and Duster Turnpike. There was also a train ride as well as many other rides such as a Ferris wheel and tarantula. These all added to a full day of fun at the park. The park closed in 1980 because of rising land values and competition from nearby Marriott’s Great America which opened in 1976.

All that remains: A portion of the Frontier Village wooden fence is preserved at Edenvale Garden Park.

Today Frontier Village fans actively share memories, photos, and memorabilia online. Be sure to check out
http://www.frontiervillage.net/ where you can read the full history of the park written by ACE member Elliott Fong. There you will find plenty of information on the park as well as a link to the Remembering Frontier Village group on facebook. Incidentally, all of this grew out of a short announcement in our ACE Northern California newsletter that Elliott was planning an informal get-together to commemorate the memory of the park. And the rest is more history.

The Fall Guys, including original members of the gunfighters at Frontier Village, perform at the Remembering Frontier Village picnic .

Do you remember J’s Amusements in Guerneville? J’s closed in 2003, but the Allan Herschell Mad Mouse, a medium-sized wild mouse roller coaster, is still on the property. The coaster is standing, but not operating. The roller coaster and park sign are easily visible from Highway 116. Mike, the owner, lives next door to the park. He likes his privacy and has no plans to reopen the park.

Adjacent to J’s, next to the Russian River, is J’s Camp Outback, a tent camping retreat. Highly-recommended nearby is Pee Wee Mini Golf, across the highway. It offers two courses and unusual features, such as a huge dinosaur, cannibals cooking a stew, Yogi Bear, and the Grateful Dead Bears and Skull paintings.

Celebrate Independence Day at California’s Great America’s Americana Festival! From noon until 4:30 PM, you can enjoy all kinds of traditional summer contests such as watermelon seed spitting, pie eating, and water balloon. Kids can also participate in patriotic crafts. Those with an all-American appetite can purchase tickets for a special 4th of July Backyard BBQ. For more information, see: http://cagreatamerica.com/events/events.cfm

Enjoy an old-fashioned all-you-can-eat barbecue picnic July 3, 4, and 5 at Gilroy Gardens’ Independence Day Weekend BBQ. For full details, see: http://gilroygardens.org/bbq.html

Enchanted Wings will flutter at Gilroy Gardens starting July 13th, running through August 16th. This special event includes the return of the “Friends of a Feather” bird show to the Lakeside Amphitheater. New this year will be the addition of an animal training center near the amphitheater where children, under the supervision of animal handlers and trainers, can have a hands-on experience.

What could be better than enjoying a summer day at our favorite seaside amusement park? How about throwing in a terrific free circus, too? Starting July 12th and running through August 20th, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk presents free performances of Cirque Magnifique. Two free shows will be offered daily. Monday through Thursday, the shows are at noon and 3:00 PM. On Sundays, the shows are at noon and 6:00 PM. For photos and a preview video of Cirque Magnifique, see: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/cirque/

Celebrate Independence Day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom! The park is offering an all-you-can-eat picnic and entertainment along with all your favorite rides and attractions. The day will end with a fireworks spectactular. The picnic will also be offered on the 3rd and 5th of July. See: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/events/FourthofJuly.aspx

Don’t forget that the Starburst Summer Concert Series continues in July. For the July lineup, see: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/events/StarburstSummerConcertSeries.aspx

For more information about Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, check out their web site.